Our friends Bina and Paul are having New Year's at their house and that should be good. We need a designated driver to get us home so that will help with the precepts! I'm responsible for the music so in laziness I've just grabbed a few compilations from the CD rack.

Our dog Penny gets freaked out by fireworks and all the local punk kids always have lots of illegal fireworks going off on New Year's. Personally I'd rather stay home to make sure she's OK. Last year she developed super-canine strength and jumped the fence. I was wandering around the streets, but thankfully she'd only gotten as far as next door's yard. Tonight Penny and her friend Jumble will be shut in the bathroom. She's a lot calmer about fireworks when she's inside.

What are you doing in your corner of the world this December 31st 2008?

Metta,Retro.

If you have asked me of the origination of unease, then I shall explain it to you in accordance with my understanding: Whatever various forms of unease there are in the world, They originate founded in encumbering accumulation. (Pārāyanavagga)

Exalted in mind, just open and clearly aware, the recluse trained in the ways of the sages:One who is such, calmed and ever mindful, He has no sorrows! -- Udana IV, 7

At Wat Benchamabophitr all the monks and novices, and many people living nearby, will gather at dusk to circumambulate the monastery's uposatha hall and Bodhi tree. Then just before midnight we will meet again in the Uposatha hall to see in the New Year by chanting the Victory Protection (Jaya Paritta).

Best wishes,Dhammanando Bhikkhu

...and this thought arose in the mind of the Blessed One:“Who lives without reverence lives miserably.”— Uruvela Sutta, A.ii.20

It were endless to dispute upon everything that is disputable.— William Penn Some Fruits of Solitude,

well, it's not quite New Year's Eve here yet. However, when it does come, I won't be going to any parties.

I can empathize with the dog situation. Two years ago on July 5th, I found our young Red Fred on farmland by himself, just a little thing at 8 weeks old. He was in obvious poor health so I took him home. We were actually out looking for a neighbor's dog that had run off during the 4th of July fireworks. For decades, I have heard stories of dogs lost forever or killed in the road on New Years Eve and the 4th of July. I even read of one small dog who chased a firecracker that was thrown over the fence into his yard, thinking it was a toy, and was killed when it exploded in his mouth.It's all very sad.

Alcohol has lost the appeal it once had,and doesn't even taste good to me anymore. As for fireworks, I've never understood the appeal to exploding things..even when they're colorful. I did like them the very first time I saw them, but then they got old.

A group of about 12 of us are going on a hike in the mountains New Years day, so I'm looking forward to that and going to bed early! Happy New year to all!

I'm working today! then I will be meditating tonight and possibly spending quality time with my Partner

This offering maybe right, or wrong, but it is one, the other, both, or neither!Blog,-Some Suttas Translated,Ajahn Chah."Others will misconstrue reality due to their personal perspectives, doggedly holding onto and not easily discarding them; We shall not misconstrue reality due to our own personal perspectives, nor doggedly holding onto them, but will discard them easily. This effacement shall be done."

I've just seen in the New Years while emailing my friend Venerable Huifeng!Earlier in the evening another highlight of the night was at our friends house, my seven-year-old son and I were belting out 'Paranoid' by Black Sabbath on the Playstation 2 game 'Singstar legends' Singstar is a kareoke-type application that comes complete with music tracks and microphones, and it scores performances. My performance was attrocious!Kind regards

Ben

Learn this from the waters:in mountain clefts and chasms,loud gush the streamlets,but great rivers flow silently.

We're just going to see some friends having received an impromptu invitation... a round-robin spur-of-the-moment decision on their part.I'll be driving, as I don't even drink at all anyway, and my partner has his son staying with us, (who's 13) so we won't be getting stoopid or staying out too late in any case.... His mum is driving down from where they live, tomorrow, to pick him up then they're going to France for a skiing holiday. Nobody's mentioned Resolutions yet...OK, I'll be brave.

I'm giving meat up.

I know this might be met with some quiet derision, but it's a big step for me. Anyone who followed my story on "the-other-site-that-shall-be-nameless" (TOSTShaBNa) will know it's not been a simple case of 'just do it'. It's a medical thing.Anyway.This is it.

And I'm determined to deepen my practice, and I'm determined to stop moaning and get on with it!

My partner is giving up smoking.This is a biggie for him, because he's really very comfortable with it, but he knows the benefits. A friend gave him some cigarettes (duty free from a stay in France) and the wrapping has morbid warnings AND pictures on it. Really very sobering and depressing....He was so disgusted, he started transferring the cigarettes into packs with no photos and blaring, glaring warnings on them - but suddenly thought to himself - "Who am I kidding?!"

I think I've only ever made a resolution once. I was about 16 or so, and I resolved to be less selfish. I guess even then I saw the harm in it. Generally if there's something I want to do, I'll do it... I don't need a 'new year' to influence the decision.

One thing to be mindful of though Fede, is that sometimes people (particularly those who are trying to give up smoking etc.) find that the resolution puts a lot of pressure on them and it becomes a case of all or nothing. In terms of getting away from addiction, or any other significant pursuit, there's likely to be stumbles and challenges along the way. These need to be faced head-on, but are difficult enough to achieve on their own without loading any additional pressure onto the situation. If you or your partner stumble in terms of your resolutions, I hope your mutual support comes to the fore.

Metta,Retro.

If you have asked me of the origination of unease, then I shall explain it to you in accordance with my understanding: Whatever various forms of unease there are in the world, They originate founded in encumbering accumulation. (Pārāyanavagga)

Exalted in mind, just open and clearly aware, the recluse trained in the ways of the sages:One who is such, calmed and ever mindful, He has no sorrows! -- Udana IV, 7

i always tell people to not quit smoking but rather to just stop smoking. quitting is such a pressure, it's doing something, it's work. there's no work in stopping. in fact its just simply taking a break.

สัพเพ สัตตา สุขีตา โหนตุ

the mountain may be heavy in and of itself, but if you're not trying to carry it it's not heavy to you- Ajaan Suwat

My father was advised to stop, after a habit of 50 - 60 a day, by our friend and family doctor, who told him, after a work-related health check that although there was no sign of cancer anywhere, his sytem was about a month away from complete organ shut-down, due to a nicotine over-load! He too decided, for the sake of his immediate health, to just stop.The effects and resulting problems for his body were truly horrendous, I don't know how he endured it, but as he said, "well, it was either that, or die."

Good point.

He merely told himself - constantly - "I'll have one in 10 minutes."

Those ten minutes never actually elapsed.....

He's now 88 at the end of this month, and as mentally chipper as ever, but his physical health has suffered, and he's relatively infirm.Traditional Chinese Medicine would say that his body has known too much WindHeat, and his system is dehydrated.Conventional Western medicine bears this out.

Hi Fede! All the best with your no meat and your Adhitthana for your practice! I guess if my lovely barbarian wife and children weren't so carniverous I would become a vegetarian again. As the head, and only, chef at Chez-Ben, it gets difficult to cook separate meals day-in day-out.

I also wish your partner the very best with his aspiration to live cigarette free. Having given up smoking myself, I was aided by nicotine patches. Something I am sure I told you about. There should also be some pretty good resources for people giving up cigarettes on the Internet that maybe useful.

Here's the Victorian Government's 'Quit' website: http://www.quit.org.au/ There maybe something similar in the UK.Kind regards

Ben

Learn this from the waters:in mountain clefts and chasms,loud gush the streamlets,but great rivers flow silently.

No resolutions this year, just floating on in my own way, pursuing my path and helping others whenever they come to me. Resolutions just cause me to get very glum when I fail. Far better not to have them and just rejoice when things get better.... for me anyway